Far too expensive for what it is. Fruity with some nice notes but nothing mind blowing, a bit too much crystal malt which lends itself to a bit of cloying sweet flavors. Alcohol heat a bit too much and flavors just aren't well blended. Not a bad beer, but definitely not worth it's cost.

Bottle from The Wine Seller in A2. Pours cloudy yellow, creamy white head on top. Smell of pine hops and not much else, a little dusty and funky, with no malt presence in the aroma. Taste is extremely muddled and fails to hide any alcohol flavor, some dusty old hops, very little malt backbone as far as I can tell with no influence on the taste. Chewy mouthfeel and sort of flat. Wondering if I got an old/compromised bottle. This was not good.

Pours a dark amber-orange color with a quickly dispersing white head. The beer looks and pours quite thick. The aroma is very hoppy, full of citrus and pine. The first sip hits you with a pretty sharp bite - very warm and spicy. Big mix of peppercorns, spices, and heavy, dank, hop resin. Slight rubbing alcohol aroma comes out as the beer continues. Some sweeter malts come out at the finish along with more citrus, but the beer leaves a very bitter taste on the tongue. Medium carbonation, and a thick, gritty body.

Very harsh, even for a 9% ABV, the "alcohol" taste is too prominent. Very "spicy" and not so much smooth. Gets worse as the beer gets warmer. I was slightly disappointed in this one, I had much higher expectations. Not my tastes.

The beer pours a murky burnt orange. The cream colored crown is disappointing in size and head retention, but lacing is solid. The nose flashes bread and caramel before hop aromas take center stage. Normally with these American Pacific Northwest hops I find that grapefruit is dominant, but refreshingly I find that pineapple is most prominent (though grapefruit is certainly still there). The open and close of each sip take their cues from the nose, but the expected hop bitterness marks the transition between the two. The bitterness in Hop Rocket is unpleasant though (and this is from someone who usually enjoys big IPAs/IIPAs). It has an almost astringent quality to it, which greatly dampers my enjoyment of the beer. The beer is remarkably light for the style, which I find myself actually enjoying, it makes Hop Rocket feel smaller than it is. The carbonation feels a little lifeless on my tongue though, which is a bit of a letdown. The harsh bitterness in Hop Rocket makes it a bit hard to drink, but I credit it for not being boozy. Hop Rocket is a serviceable beer, the problem is there are plenty of more than serviceable double IPAs out there.

Single, twelve-ounce bottle just purchased from New Beer Distributors on Chrystie Street in Manhattan...Pours a murky, ruddy, deep-orange, copper hue with no head at all and hardly any lacing around the edge of the serving glass...Faint hop aroma with noticeable alcohol on the nose and a touch of honey...Taste was rendolent of fresh, wet hops doused in alcohol, along with some bitter medicinal nuances, caramel, and sweet sugars...Overall, this one seemed highly unbalanced and too bitter... Arcadia didn't do too well of a job masking the 9% ABV on this one either...Wouldn't go out of my way to recommend this one...